"Atlas Lions" and the 2030 World Cup.. What lessons can be learned from the North American edition?

The curtain has fallen on the 2026 World Cup; however, for Morocco, the journey to the World Cup is not over yet, but has actually just begun. In just four years, the kingdom will face a historic test by hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal; this necessitates a transition from celebrating what has been achieved to evaluating what has not been accomplished.

Four years require the beginning of preparations for the next World Cup from this moment, whether in terms of sports by overcoming past mistakes and continuing to work, or in terms of organization by drawing lessons from the 2026 World Cup, through which the United States, Mexico, and Canada established a pioneering model that embodied professionalism in organization.

In this context, national coach Abdel Rahim Talib confirmed that the defeat against France showed that the national team still has a lot of work to do before the 2030 World Cup, especially on the mental and psychological levels, emphasizing the need not to give the opponent more weight than they deserve.

Talib explained, in a statement to Hespress, that the national team suffers from issues in the defense line, in addition to lacking a clear striker, calling for the preparation for the 2030 World Cup to start from now.

The national coach also pointed out that several current players will not be able to participate in the upcoming World Cup due to age factors, while stressing the need to develop individual technical aspects, along with enhancing collective performance by achieving harmony between officials, players, technical staff, and the audience.

The same speaker also called for "not seeking revenge" and spreading rumors that could negatively affect the players' performance, especially after the current World Cup.

For his part, Mohamed Akdira, a university professor and expert in public sports policies and the management and governance of sports institutions, stated that the most important aspect of preparing for the 2030 World Cup lies in training human resources, highlighting that Morocco suffers from a shortage of competencies and training, whether in the hospitality sector, transportation, or café services. In this regard, Akdira noted, in a statement to Hespress, that hosting millions of tourists during the upcoming World Cup requires having qualified human capital.